AIR GRATITUDE
WARNING! The following blog posting contains words -- mono and multi-syllabic configurations of letters that have been known to confuse, distract, misrepresent, and otherwise complicate the cognition of readers attempting to understand another person's experience.
That being said, I am going to take a whack at describing what it was like for me to see Maharaji (aka Prem Rawat) on September 23rd in Asheville, North Carolina, where he spoke for 60 minutes to approximately 1,200 people.
Ready? Here goes:
Fast forward to the morning after.
I am sitting in the Asheville Regional Airport, sipping my tall soy latte and waiting for my plane, when the very likeable Ellen Kirschner sits down beside me, laptop in hand and, after a few pleasantries, asks if she might interview me for an article she is writing for Words of Peace Global about last night's event.
"Sure," I say. "Let's do it."
Ellen looks at her notes and asks me a few questions. I look at Ellen and give a few answers, underwhelmed by the vagary of what I have to say in the time I have to say it. 
Interview done, Ellen and I both stand and go our separate ways -- she down a ramp to Charlotte, me down a ramp to Newark.
I present my e-ticket. I put my bag in the overhead rack. I listen to a disembodied voice tell me how to put my seat belt on.
And then, like a ton of bricks, 30 minutes later, 35,000 feet in the air, it hits me -- what I really wanted to say to Ellen.
What was it like sitting in a room with Maharaji?
Like being an electric fan and having the plug pulled. Things slowed down. Way down. Everything came to a complete stop. My blades -- those finely honed, energy-efficient abilities I've been so busy developing to cool the room I call my life -- stopped spinning.
Back to square one. Everything became still. Nothing was happening.
But not the nothing that is the absence of anything. No. The nothing that is the fullness of everything. The moment of HERE. The moment of NOW. The moment that is already wonderful without anything extra needing to happen to make it so.
This nothing, like a large bay window opening to the sea, allows me to feel the coolest of breezes -- a breeze that does not depend on my spinning blades for its origination. It allows me to enjoy who and what I am without even trying.
What moves the breeze moves me. And it feels very, very good.
Maharaji, somehow, has the knack for facilitating an experience that enables people, from all walks of life, to feel the fullness of the moment -- to be totally receptive. Receptive to life. Receptive to love. Receptive to the realization that everything is perfect just the way it is.
At moments like this, I am filled with an extraordinary tidal wave of gratitude -- and I had one of those moments being with Maharaji, in Asheville, on September 23rd.
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(If you liked this posting, you'll probably like this one, too.)
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:54 AM | Comments (5)
September 24, 2009ALL IS WELL: Asheville Excerpts
What follows are excerpts from Maharaji's September 23rd event in Asheville. It is not a word for word transcription -- simply selected highlights as recalled by yours truly. Enjoy!
"I am not here to lecture you and explain what someone else wrote. I am not here to provide theoretical conjectures on what your life might be -- or the shortcuts you can take. I am not here to tell you that you're all travellers on a journey. I'm here to tell you something else -- a reality you should know that is so sweet, so wonderful, and so profound."
"Know the beauty that comes to you one breath at a time. Understand what each day, each moment means."
"We are so enamored by the idea of heaven after death that we fail to see the heaven we are living in."
"Search as much as you can. I have no problem with that. But I do have one thing to say: If you search for something you haven't lost, you're going to run into a lot of problems. You're searching, but not finding because you've never lost what you're searching for."
"Is the goal to search or to find? If it is to find, don't get caught in searching. Look! Actually look! Open your eyes and you will find it. Why? Because you have never lost it. The Divine you search for is within you. The day you lose the divine, searching is out of the question."
"There are only two kinds of people in this world: People who have asked 'Who am I?' and people who haven't asked yet."
"What would you rather have -- an operatic waiter who can sing the menu to you or another guy who actually brings the food? Me? Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I want the waiter with the food. The singing guy? Send me a tape or an Mp3."
"Do you know that each one of us is completely different? There are some similarities, but they are superficial. There is one thing common to us all -- and that is: we can say THANK YOU!"
"Have you ever been thankful for this life? Have you ever been thankful for this breath? Have you ever been thankful for understanding? Have you ever been thankful for this existence? Have you ever been thankful for today? Have you ever been thankful for yesterday?"
"You have an insatiable appetite for peace. Don't ask me why. You love this stuff! Peace! Joy! Nobody gets tired of it."
"You think you weren't born with an instruction manual? Do you need it? Or are things pretty straight forward? Hungry? Eat! Thirsty? Drink! Tired? Sleep! Don't know? Know!"
"What I offer people is a simple thing -- the gift of this Knowledge -- to put you in touch with something inside of you. Your life! Your existence! It's all good news!"
"The most magnificent show is in town, folks. The most magnificent venues have been created -- YOU! And what is the show? What does the billing say? The Divine Is Playing In This Venue -- and believe me it's quite a show. If you don't find it, I have the tickets. Free! I have the tickets to the greatest show on earth!"
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:32 PM | Comments (3)
Maharaji in Asheville
Maharaji's September 23rd event in Asheville, North Carolina will be broadcast on the WOPG LiveStream network on September 24th and 25th, with varying start times based on time zones.
Check out the broadcast times, reserve your virtual seat, and enjoy! Every seat is a front row seat. Available in English and Spanish.
Here's a sneak preview...
One day little Johnny is in his classroom and it happens to be that his art teacher has given an assignment to all the kids to draw something.
Johnny is drawing feverishly, all hunched up over his drawing and being very focused.
The teacher walks by and, seeing Johnny so focused, asks:
"Johnny what are you doing?"
"I'm drawing God," Johnny explains.
"But Johnny," says the teacher, "no one knows what God looks like."
"They will in a minute," Johnny replies.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:35 PM | Comments (0)
September 23, 2009The One Minute Seeker
In days gone by, classic seekers had to endure a ton of trials and tribulations to find what they were looking for.
They walked across deserts. They fasted. They hunted for the One in faraway places.
No more. Those days are over. The game has changed. Things have heated up, big time.
Now, that which you are looking for is looking for you. Your inner questing for something timeless, pure, and full of love has been responded to.
Really. Click here to find out more.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:01 AM | Comments (0)
September 20, 2009International Day of Peace
The International Day of Peace ("Peace Day") provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date. It was established by a United Nations resolution in 1981.
In 2002, the General Assembly officially declared September 21 as the permanent date for the International Day of Peace.
By creating the International Day of Peace, the UN devoted itself to worldwide peace and encouraged all of mankind to work in cooperation for this goal.
What can YOU do to celebrate this day?
PS: Some readers of this blog are celebrating by posting the WORDS OF PEACE website address on the bulletin board of their local Starbucks (or less well-known coffee shop) -- a way to help thousands of people learn more about Maharaji's message of peace.)
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 02:21 PM | Comments (0)
Because of LoveBeautiful new song (and exquisite images) by Kim O'Leary.
"Neither a lofty degree of intelligence, nor imagination, nor both together, go to making genius. Love, love, love. That is the soul of genius." - Mozart
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 02:03 PM | Comments (0)
September 19, 2009All You Need is Love
Thanks to Alan Roettinger for the link
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:52 PM | Comments (0)
One Moment at a Time
Thanks to the almost omnipresent David Klamph for posting this on the Heart of the Matter FB group which you should definitely join immediately even if you have other important things to do right now and are totally overdosed with FB.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:38 PM | Comments (0)
September 17, 2009It's Never Too LATTE for Peace!
Dalit Fresco likes coffee. But she likes something even more -- and that is the feeling of peace inside herself made sweetly accessible by her teacher, Prem Rawat (aka Maharaji).
And so, in honor of the feeling Dalit is enjoying (and in celebration of the International Day of Peace), YOU and everyone else on planet Earth are invited, on September 21, to visit a Starbucks and post a note (on the bulletin board there) with the following message:
WORDS OF PEACE: www.wopg.org.
Small, Tall, or Vente, the millions of coffee lovers who will frequent Starbucks on 9/21 will see this message and SOME of them will log on and feel the kind of buzz that goes far beyond cappuccino.
It's simple: You write your note. You go to Starbucks. You post your note. That's it. (If you live too far from a Starbucks or have issues with their business practices, post your note at the coffee shop of your choice.)
PS: Feel free to take a photo of your note and email it to me on 9/21. I'll choose ten and post them on this blog faster than you can say "caffeination."
PPS: This was Dalit's cool idea. I'm just helping to get the word out there.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:23 PM | Comments (0)
Don't Try To Figure Out Tomorrow
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 09:17 PM | Comments (0)
September 16, 2009Seeing Exactly What Is
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:31 PM | Comments (0)
It's a Real LoveThanks to Kim O'Leary for many years of extraordinary music...and to David Klamph for posting this on Heart of the Matter FB (where there are another 86 very inspiring videos).
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 05:12 AM | Comments (0)
September 15, 2009Things Are Headed in the Right Direction
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 01:02 AM | Comments (1)
September 14, 2009The Ten Commandments for Visiting a New Age Ashram
During the past two decades, a curious phenomenon has swept this nation.
Inspired by the teachings of several Master souls from the East, an unusually large number of ashrams and retreats have made their appearance on the scene -- spiritual centers designed to provide seekers of the truth with a focused environment in which to practice their particular spiritual path.
While most people who spend time in these places are extremely dedicated and sincere, there still remains a goodly number who, in their attempt to have "an experience," miss the point completely.
Seduced by the Western notion of cause and effect, they somehow think that spiritual attainment is related to the way they act -- as if God were some kind of transcultural Santa Claus looking for good little boys and girls to bring his shiny red fire trucks to.
Not surprisingly, the spirit of the law is all too often traded for the letter -- a letter that, no matter how many stamps are put on it, is continually returned for insufficient postage.
Surrender is replaced by submission; patience by hesitation; and humility by timidity.
Alas, in the name of finding themselves, our God-seeking brothers and sisters have tended to lose the very thing that makes them truly human -- their individuality.
And so, with great respect to your personal God, your Guru, your Guru's Guru, and your favorite tax-deductible charity, I humbly offer you the following soul-saving tips should you decide to visit (or move into) the ashram or spiritual center of your choice.
Take what you can, leave the rest, and remember -- it's not whether your shoes are on or off, but if your heart is open.
1. Do Not Change the Way You Walk
Most visitors to a spiritual retreat think they have to change the way they walk if they are truly going to have a meaningful experience. Somehow, they believe there is a direct correlation between the way they move their feet and the amount of "grace" or "blessings" about to enter their lives.
The "spiritual walk," is actually a not-too-distant cousin of the "museum walk," the curious way a person slows down and shuffles knowingly, yet humbly, past a Monet (or is it a Manet?), silently getting the essence of the Masterpiece even as they move noddingly towards that incomprehensible cubist piece in the next room.
If you like, think of the spiritual walk as the complete opposite of the on-the-way-to-work-walk or the exiting-a-disco-in-New York walk.
Simply put, the spiritual walk is a way of moving that practitioners believe will attract small deer from nearby forests -- deer that will literally walk right up to them and eat from their hand -- more proof to anyone in the general vicinity that they are, in fact, enlightened souls, humble devotees, children of God, or the so-far-unacknowledged successors to their guru's lineage.
Ideally, the spiritual walk should be taken in sandals, though Reeboks or Chinese slippers will do in a pinch. Cowboy boots are definitely out, as are galoshes, high heels, and Chuck Taylor Converse All-Stars.
2. Do Not, Under Any Circumstances, Succumb to the Spiritual Nod
Closely related to the spiritual walk, the spiritual nod is routinely practiced in retreats the world over. And while no one completely comprehends it's divine origins, many believe it began when a blissful brother simply forgot the name of his roommate on his way to the bathroom.
Instead of issuing the familiar Sanskrit phrase of the week, our trend-setting friend simply tightened his lips, looked at the ground and... well... nodded.
Now, every time you walk by someone at the ashram, you are half-expected to flash them the nod, the non-verbal equivalent of "Hi! I know you know, and you know I know, and you know that I know that you know, and in my knowing, I know that I know you know, and by so knowing, need not speak, since words are finite and cannot express the knowingness which the two of us (being one) share from such a knowful place. Know what I mean?"
3. Do Not Judge Anyone, Including Yourself
This is the hardest of all commandments to obey. Why? Because spiritual environments not only bring out the best in people, they also bring out the worst. And while the worst is often more difficult to detect than the bliss of people wanting you to notice how blissful they are, the higher you get, the easier it is to notice -- that is, if you are looking for it.
Of course, it would be very easy to spend your entire spiritualized retreat noticing all the subtle ego trips going on around you. Resist this temptation with all your might!
Do not, I repeat, do not, focus on the stuff that would make good material for this article. You have no right. In fact, you have absolutely no idea why anyone is there, what their motivation is, or how they will learn the kinds of lessons you are absolutely sure they need to learn.
In reality, you are most likely seeing your own projections -- those disowned parts of your self that you've refused to acknowledge all these years...
Your spiritual groupie, your brownie point collector, your junkie for more experience, your suburban yogi , your guilty seeker of God, your con man, your eunuch, your resolution maker, your ass watcher, your closet fanatic, your glutton for humble pie, your too poetic definer of ecstasy, your flaming bullshit artist, your know-it-all, your have-it-all, your spring-headed bower towards anyone with more than two devotees.
All of them are you! Every single one of them! Don't judge them. Love them! Bring them tea! Rub their feet every chance you get!
4. Do Not Think That This Is the Only Place Where It Is Happening
Spiritual retreatants have a marked propensity to think that the grounds they inhabit are somehow more blessed than any place else on earth -- that they are privy to a special command performance by God, revealing himself in thousands of exotic ways for those lucky enough to be there, while thousands, nay millions, of George Bush-like souls are stumbling around in uncool places recently vacated by the Power of Life so a very cosmic thing can happen here and only here this weekend.
Life, in fact, is often perceived as so good in the "Center," that the rest of the world becomes eerily cast as the "booby prize."
Indeed, to new age seekers, everything else is simply referred to as "the world," much like Manhattanites speak of New Jersey. In short, the new age retreat comes to represent all that is good -- about God, about the Guru, about life itself.
Somehow ("and I don't know how, but you could ask anyone who was there this weekend") flowers seem sweeter there, the moon seems fuller, the air seems cleaner. Even the bread tastes better. If you glimpse a shooting star at night, it's the "guru's grace." If you see a double rainbow, it's directly over the meditation hall.
I guess it's all in how you look at it. The same shooting star convincing you that your guru is, in fact, the Supreme Guru, was also seen by a plumber named Leroy who just happened to be drinking a beer in between innings of the Mets game. His conclusion? The Mets were gonna win 20 of the next 25 and bring the pennant home to Flushing!
What do the signs in the sky (or what we perceive as signs) really mean? Isn't the whole world our ashram? Isn't the real issue one of appreciating what is happening all around us? The flowers? The stars? The beggars asking for spare change?
Flowers aren't any sweeter on retreat. It's our willingness to breathe deeply and enjoy them that's different. What's stopping us from being in this place right now? What's stopping us from realizing that the very ground beneath our feet is the promised land -- wherever we happen to be at the time.
5. Don't Put a Red Dot on Your Forehead If You Don't Want To
Unless you've been living in a trailer park your whole life, you probably already know what the red dot thing is all about. That's right. The third eye. The sixth chakra. High holiness. INDIA!! While sometimes mistaken for a beauty mark or a random bit of watermelon, the little red dot is actually a useful reminder to focus one's attention on the space between the eyebrows, which, for some people, is where God lives (or if not lives, at least vacations). Nothing wrong with that, now is there?
Still, you have to concede that the third eye isn't the only spot on the human body that's sacred. What about the earlobes? The belly button? The nipples? They come from God, too -- not too mention chakras #1 - 5 and the highly under-represented center of consciousness at the crown of the head. Sacred, every one of them!
Don't you think that, if the body is the temple of the soul, it follows that our entire physical structure is sacred? Shouldn't we be covered from head to toe with little red dots? And if so, why is it that we routinely quarantine people with measles -- the very people who have selflessly chosen to manifest disease just to remind us to honor our body's ultimate holiness?
6. Play With the Children
The only sentient beings free from the collective mentality of spiritual seekers are the children. Children visiting "holy places," in fact, behave the same way the world over no matter what adjectives their elders use for the unspeakable name of God. When they're hungry, they eat. When they're tired, they sleep. They cry when they want to, laugh for no reason, consume ice cream without guilt, and rarely wonder why your picture of the Master is bigger, newer, or better framed.
7. Fart At Your Own Risk
If you fart, and there's no one around to hear it at the ashram, did it happen? And if it did happen, does that mean you've been disrespectful? Is the resident Guru able to hear you? And if he or she is meditating, out of the country, or dead, is their guru or their guru's guru able to hear you? And if so, so what? Will you be reborn as a gerbil? Does the Guru fart? And if it's OK for him or her to pass wind, why not you?
OK, so it's their place and you're a guest. But after all, aren't we all guests here? Even the Guru? Who do they answer to? And if it's not the same one you're answering to, what the hell are you doing getting up at five in the morning and sitting in the lotus position?
Maybe the real question isn't whether or not it's permissible to fart on holy ground, but how you fart. For instance, if you're farting out of a blatant disregard for the Master's teachings or the sincerity of his or her followers, you might want to reconsider where you're coming from. However, if your farting is just a random release of gas, relax! Give yourself the benefit of the doubt. You see, a typical visit to a spiritual center quickens one's ability to "let go" -- so what you call "farting" may, in fact, be a timely sign of your evolving spiritual condition.
8. Do Not Think You Are Higher or Lower Than Anyone Else
One of the favorite pastimes of people visiting a spiritual retreat is comparing themselves to everyone else. "See the guy over there carrying firewood? He's a very old soul -- way older than me. Been on the path for years. And that dude laughing hysterically in the corner? That's Shiva. Oops, he can probably see through me, maybe I better walk around the other way."
Want to save yourself some time? Don't try to figure out how "on the path" anybody else is. It's impossible. Stare into the eyes all you want, watch for tell-tale signs of liberation, but when it comes right down to it, the only conclusion you'll reach will be your own -- one that may have absolutely nothing to do with the anything but your own projections.
Face it, how accurate is your assessment going to be when 99 percent of humanity couldn't tell that the carpenter from Galilee had something special going for him?
Indeed, it's not at all unlikely that the beer-bellied, first-time visitor you met this morning at the ashram is, at this very moment, being treated like a spiritual mongoloid by everyone who meets him (repeatedly being asked if "this is your first time") when, in fact, the beer-bellied, first-time visitor is actually the reincarnation of Buddha.
9. Do Not Think That You Are Going to Get Something
Many people visit a a spiritual retreat because they want to get something. They want "clarity" or "contentment," "enlightenment" or "grace," "blessings" or "peace of mind." At the very least, they want their business to improve or their marriage to be saved.
Alas, they miss the point completely: If you try to get, you will lose, left only with the sinking feeling of having just bought $300 worth of lottery tickets only to learn that some electrician from Staten Island just won the whole thing.
Look, it's really very simple. You don't go to a spiritual center (or a Big Time Teacher, for that matter) to get. You go to give, to let go -- to relax your grip on the very thing that's been separating you from getting all these years: Your grasping. Your fear. Your well-rehearsed strategy to realize God.
10. Do Not Feel Compelled to Change Your Name
OK, so your name is Joey. Ever since you were knee high to a jar of Cheese Whiz, everyone called you Joey -- as in, 
"Hey, Joey, what's goin' down, bro'?" Yeah, you grew up in Brooklyn, cut school once a week, and dated a chick named Angela with very big boobs.
Great. So, here you are at the ashram and ba-bing, you run smack into a bunch of dudes with names like Arjuna, Govinda, Namdev,Shanti, Krishna. "Hey," you think to yourself, "maybe they got something I don't."
Guess what? They do. They have spiritual names given to them by their Guru -- names that make their mothers somewhat close-lipped around the canasta table. And while these names are clearly given with a purpose, the fact of the matter is -- they are irrelevant. Do you think the people in India who have spiritual experiences get their names changed to Eddie, Gino, Stacey, or Shirley ?
Hey, what difference does it make? You are not your name -- even if your namesake was enlightened. It doesn't matter what they call you, when it's time to go, you're gone.
The only name worth knowing at that time is God's name -- and that, my friend, no matter how many mantras you've memorized, can never be pronounced.
It's All WITHIN You!
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 05:57 PM | Comments (2)
September 11, 2009HAFIZ: Tripping Over Joy
"What is the difference
between your experience of existence
and that of a saint?
The saint knows
that the spiritual path
is a sublime chess game with God
and that the Beloved
has just made such a fantastic move
that the saint is now continually
tripping over joy
and bursting out in laughter
and saying, "I surrender!"
Whereas, my dear,
I am afraid you still think
you have a thousand serious moves."
- Hafiz (from I Heard God Laughing)
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 08:20 PM | Comments (0)
In Remembrance of 9/11In honor of all the people who lost their lives on 9/11... and all the people who lost loved ones then... and all the people who felt that great loss in their hearts, here is a beautiful reminder of love, remembrance, and the preciousness of human life.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 02:19 PM | Comments (0)
September 08, 2009The Miracle of This Moment
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:10 PM | Comments (1)
September 07, 2009A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 04:27 PM | Comments (2)
September 06, 2009Be Healthy! Keep It Simple!
"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." - Confucius
When I was in my 20s, I worked at the University of Virginia Medical Center. Initially, I was impressed when I heard the interns and residents spicing their diagnostic conversations with impressive sounding Latin words.
It made me feel like I was in the presence of experts -- people in the know -- professionals to whom I could entrust my life should I ever get really sick.
In time, it became clear to me that the Latin name dropping routine was just a game -- a way that insecure medical students could instantly feel better about themselves, somehow justifying all those long nights of studying while, at the same time, raising their perceived value in the eyes of their overwhelmed patients.
It's not just medical students who are enamored of complexity. We all are. Somehow, in our over-caffeinated, multi-tracking, digitally-assisted life, we have come to equate complexity with wisdom.
Complexity is not wisdom. Complexity is complexity. Simplicity is where it's at.
All the savvy people I know have a knack for keeping things simple. They demystify. They speak in the language of the people. They cut to the chase in a way that cuts no one in the process.
My invitation to you today? Keep it simple -- no matter what path you're on. You will feel way better at the end of the day -- and so will all the people around you.
Want to know what Einstein, DaVinci, Tolstoy, and others had to say about the topic? Keep reading...
"Everything should be as simple as possible -- but no simpler." Albert Einstein
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Leonardo DaVinci
"Our life is frittered away by detail... Simplify, simplify, simplify!" Henry David Thoreau
"Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art." Fredrich Chopin
"There is no greatness where there is no simplicity." Leo Tolstoy
"Nothing is true, but that which is simple." Goethe
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 08:59 PM | Comments (0)
September 04, 2009What's in a Name?
Whenever a person who has received Knowledge from Maharaji tries to describe their relationship to him, they usually end up using one of the following five words: student, devotee, follower, friend, or premie.
I'm sure you've heard at least a few of these words before in one context or another.
Each of them describes an aspect of my relationship to Maharaji, but only an aspect.
None of them describes the whole shebang. In fact, each of these words has been known to confuse, distract, or repel since each one carries a kind of cultural baggage.
Allow me to explain.
If I tell you that I am the son of Barney and Sylvia, you will instantly know what I mean. If I tell you I am the husband of Evelyne, I need not explain further. If I tell you that I'm the brother of Phyllis, the friend of Scott, and the father of Jesse and Mimi, you catch my drift. But when it comes to describing my relationship to Maharaji, language comes up short...
Which brings us back to the five words noted above: student, follower, devotee, friend, and premie.
It's clear to me, that if you're reading this blog, it's only a matter of time before you hear one of Maharaji's _____________ (fill in the blank, folks) use one of the above-mentioned words to describe their relationship to him. And when they do, I want to make sure you don't run for the hills just because the word they use doesn't quite make it for you.
1. STUDENT
"Student" is perhaps the most politically correct way to describe my relationship to Maharaji. Simply put, he's my teacher and I learn from him. All of us understand the concept of teacher. It's embedded in our culture.
But this is where some Knowledge-sniffing people might decide to bail out.
Yes, we've all had teachers, but some of our teachers have disappointed. Some, in fact, were awful -- manipulative, fear-mongering, narrow-minded, and boring. Plus they gave us homework. Ouch!
The word "student" also conjures up, for some of us, images of school. School? Does anyone really want to go to school? To my kids, school often feels like prison. They'd rather be playing.
"Student" also conjures up images of big books with small print that have to be read by Thursday when it's Springtime outside and all you really want to do is roller blade. Study? Give me a break. Who wants to study?
Here's the paradox. I'm a student of Maharaji, but I'm not in school. I'm a student of Maharaji, but I don't study. I'm a student of Maharaji, but I follow no curriculum. I'm a student of Maharaji, but he never tests me. I'm a student of Maharaji, but I pay no tuition.
And yet, believe it or not, I've learned more from him than anyone else on planet Earth. By at least a few light years.
2. FOLLOWER
In the 1970's when Maharaji's arrival on the scene was being carefully tracked by the media, journalists referred to people attracted to his teachings as "followers" -- as in "the followers of the boy Guru from India."
No wonder why so many Time and Newsweek readers (my mother included) got turned off.
"Followers" conjures up images of sheep walking off cliffs... of weak-willed people... of glassy-eyed, hopelessly uncool wanabees. Hey, who wants to be a "follower?" Isn't that a sign of nerdhood? It's leaders we want! Take charge people! Alpha men and women! Superheroes!
Here's a slightly different way of looking it.
When you're trying to get somewhere you've never been before, it's not uncommon to follow directions. (Are you giving away your power because you follow a map or the instructions of the gas station attendant?)
I'm guessing you've followed your instincts from time to time. Yes? And if you're a sports fan, you've undoubtedly followed a team or two -- fascinated and uplifted by what they did and how they did it. And if you've ever been in love, I'd venture to say that somewhere along the line, you told your Beloved you'd follow them to the ends of the Earth.
Following is not a sign of weakness -- not if what you're following is worthy of your pursuit. Maharaji, by the way, doesn't ask people to follow him. People follow him for the same reason they follow their instinct, their team, a map, or their significant other. For love. For results. For enjoyment.
This is not a blind following. This is an informed following. This is not a following that disempowers. This is a following that strengthens, empowers, and delights.
3. DEVOTEE
There are two ways of saying the word "devotee" -- the first one rhymes with "clay," the second rhymes with "tea." I prefer the second. Devotee. The first one reminds me of an upwardly mobile fashionista in LA or NY who calls everyone "dahling." They are, on Mondays, at least, a "devotay" of this or that. But what they're devoted to this week will invariably change into something else next week and so on ad infinitum.
Their devotion, if you will, is really just a thinly veiled emotion -- their circumstantial focus on something or other for a limited period of time until they either get bored, distracted, or convinced by a much hipper and better-dressed friend to be a "devotay" of something else.
I'm not talking about that.
I'm talking about the second word -- the one that rhymes with "tea." Devotee -- whose root is "devote."
We're all devoted to something. Some of us are devoted to family. Some of us are devoted to country. Some of us are devoted to work. Still others are devoted to skin care products.
And so it goes...
Why is it that some people refer to themselves as "devotees" of Maharaji? Because he's shown them something worth being devoted to. He's shown them what devotion really is. Not blind devotion. No herd devotion. Not trendy devotion. Something very different -- the unconditional, soulful commitment to the core of life.
4. FRIEND
Many people who practice Knowledge, refer to Maharaji as their "friend." And yet, they may see him only once a year. They may never have even said a single word to him. They never go bowling with him or share a pizza or double date, but still they use the word "friend" to describe him.
How can this be? How can you call someone a friend who you rarely ever see?
It's simple. 
A friend knows you. A friend is there when needed. A friend is non-judgmental. A friend has your best interests in mind. A friend is someone you can rely on. A friend surprises you with love when you least expect it.
All of these describe my relationship to Maharaji. And when I look into his eyes -- or he looks into mine -- I feel, in a heartbeat, that he is a Friend with a capital "F."
"F" for fearless. "F" for fun. "F" for fabuloso.
For some of us, however, the word "friend" is troubling. Friends have sometimes let us down. Friends sometimes take more than they give. Friends have borrowed tools and not returned them. And so, it's not at all surprising that calling Maharaji my "friend" may not work for you.
OK. Maybe the next word will work better for you...
5. PREMIE
I'm guessing you've heard the word "premie" before. It's Hindi for "lover" and was the most popular way that students/followers/devotees/friends of Maharaji referred to themselves in the 1970's and '80's.
One of the great things about this word, to Westerners, is that no one had any concepts about it -- no previous associations. And it's translation was cool. Lover. Who could argue with that -- especially since one of the outcomes of practicing Knowledge and being around Maharaji was a steady infusion of love.
At least that's the way it was -- and is -- for me.
Looking back, it felt right to use the word "premie" to describe my relationship to Maharaji. After all, the word came from the same country he did -- India -- and it translated as "love." And his first name is "Prem."
Seems kind of like a no brainer, eh?
Of course, there's an equal and opposite way of looking at this, too. After all, as Paul Simon once said, "One man's ceiling is another man's floor."
I'm sure for some people, it's a turn off to hear the word "premie." It seems so foreign -- so not "made in the USA." And, as if that wasn't enough, it sounds a lot like "preemie," every mother's worse nightmare -- someone not quite fully formed.
Well, then, maybe "premie" isn't the best word to describe someone who practices Knowledge and loves Maharaji. Maybe the word should be "Bubeleh," or "Tootsie" or "Fred." You tell me.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter what word I use to describe my relationship to Maharaji. What matters is this: Maharaji is the real deal. My life has majorly flourished since I met him. His message is ancient and timeless and real. His gift of Knowledge is a treasure.
Shakespeare had it right, methinks:
"What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:41 AM | Comments (7)
September 02, 2009Radiant Being of Light
Radiant being of light. Vortex of love. Alchemist supreme. Magnifier of prayer. The one I dream about and the one who wakes me from the dream. Why the dervish spins and the earth. Teacher, teaching, and the taught. First breath, last breath. What lovers look for in each other but rarely find. Center around which everything revolves. Endless night of love and the ecstatic aching of a moon-howling heart that does not want the morning to come.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 06:08 PM | Comments (3)
September 01, 2009Stone Walls Do Not a Prison Make
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 07:43 AM | Comments (0)
